I Won't Lose You
by Flavvie
Summary: Sayaka brought back Kyouko's memories of how she felt when she first became a magical girl, but now she is threatened with losing her just like she lost Mami and her family. (Short Episode 9 AU in homage to today [4/12] being the day that the events of episode 9 happened in canon)


It wasn't working. Kyouko realized now how foolish she had been to consider such a desperate strategy. All she had accomplished by dragging Madoka along with her to talk to Sayaka – or at least, the witch who had once been Sayaka – was nearly getting Madoka killed. Luckily, Homura had arrived in time to get her out of there; at least Sayaka's best friend wouldn't have to die too. After exchanging a few words, Homura had left with Madoka, leaving Kyouko alone to face the witch.

"Damn it Sayaka," Kyouko cursed, looking up at the witch's otherworldly head and clutching her spear, "why did you have to throw your life away like that? I was just starting to like you." The witch was preparing for another attack; wooden wheels floated into the air to gather behind her head. "All I'd wanted was to help you. Of course, I failed at that." The wheels propelled themselves toward her, forcing her to dodge out of the way.

"Actually, you were the one who helped me," she continued, leaping into the air in front of the witch to meet her face to face. "I'd forgotten why I became a magical girl until you came along. That's right, you helped me. You've always been saying how useless you were as a magical girl, and that all you were good for now was to fight witches, but that's wrong!" Kyouko landed back on the ground, blocking another barrage of wheels with her spear.

"You're not useless at all. You reminded me of the hope I felt when I was training with Mami, back when I actually thought I was making some kind of difference in the world." Memories were flooding through Kyouko's head. Images of Mami, her little sister, her parents, and the thrill of seeing her father's packed church, and being taught how to use her magic by her best friend … She cringed. "I'm not going to let myself lose that hope again. I won't lose you like I lost them!"

Eyes filled with determination and desperation, Kyouko charged towards the witch, leaping straight for her head. The witch responded by raising her giant sword in preparation for a strike. Kyouko's heart was racing. As she charged, she thought back to her first witch battles while training with Mami. Although it had been a long time ago, it was now fresh in her memory again. She knew this battle would likely be her last, and so she resolved herself to cling to the hopeful memories of the past, imagining Mami guiding her as she prepared for a final attack. "_Rosso Fantasma_!" she shouted as the witch's blade descended towards her.

With a flash of magic, eight Kyoukos flew towards Oktavia von Seckendorff. The confused witch attempted to slice one, only to find that it had just been a copy. Meanwhile, the real Kyouko delivered a powerful blow, decapitating the witch. She had won. Exhausted, Kyouko collapsed to her knees as the barrier dissolved, barely registering the sound of something clattering to the ground in front of her. When she looked up, all the stress of the battle seemed to instantly vanish. Laying in front of her eyes was Sayaka's soul gem, glowing a bright, healthy blue. She picked it up gingerly, nervous that if she touched it it might disappear like some kind of mirage. Relief flooded over her when she felt the smooth, solid surface of the gem under her fingers. She gave a silent prayer of thanks for this miracle before snapping into action.

Kyouko sprinted back to where she had kept Sayaka's body, determined to bring her back as soon as possible. By the time she had made it back, she was completely out of breath. Snatching up a grief seed from her emergency stockpile to clean her own blackening soul gem, she carefully placed Sayaka's into her body's hand, holding it closed with her own. Although Sayaka had been dead for quite awhile, her hand was still warm due to Kyouko using her magic to preserve it, just in case this plan had turned out successfully. Kyuubey had told her that this was a waste of her energy, but she was about to show him just how wrong he had been.

After waiting by her side for what seemed like ages, and going through quite a few days worth of snacks in the process, Kyouko noticed Sayaka begin to stir. Kyouko smiled, softly massaging her hand and waiting for her to fully wake up. "What … happened?" Sayaka murmured, opening her eyes slowly. "Kyouko?"

"Hey, welcome back," Kyouko greeted her, grinning and offering her a stick of Pocky.

Sayaka hesitantly accepted it, looking confused. "I had the strangest dream," she commented.

"You turned into a witch," Kyouko informed her. "-But don't worry," she quickly continued after seeing the look of horror on Sayaka's face, "you're okay now, and you didn't hurt anyone. Everything's okay."

Sayaka remained silent for awhile, taking everything in. "So … those things I remember actually happened." She cringed. "I need to apologize to some people."

Kyouko nodded. "Alright. We should probably let Madoka know you're okay anyway; I bet she's been worried about you."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Oh, and thank you for going out to save me like that. I'm in your debt."

"That's what friends are for, right?" Kyouko laughed, biting into an apple.

"Friends?"

"Yeah," Kyouko blushed. "It would be nice, for us to start being friends."

Sayaka grinned at the thought. "In that case, I might not regret becoming a magical girl after all."

* * *

Homura was amazed when she learned that Kyouko had somehow managed to rescue Sayaka. When she saw them again, an immense relief washed over her. She had been becoming increasingly afraid that with her as the only magical girl left to fight Walpurgisnacht, Madoka might be tricked into making a contract. But now, there were three of them prepared to fight, and by the looks of it, the strife between them had ended and everyone was friends again. She got the sense that this time, they could actually be victorious, and she wouldn't have to repeat the timeline anymore. Mami had died, so it wasn't quite perfect, but Madoka would survive, and she was happy, and that alone would make everything worth it. She just had to hope that everyone could last a few more weeks.


End file.
